A HOLE that mysteriously appeared in a country lane was caused by a drainage tunnel collapsing beneath the carriageway.

The 3ft deep hole was first noticed on Wednesday (April 22) at 3pm and Worcestershire County Council moved swiftly to close the minor road, known as Jacobs Ladder, for safety reasons.

An inspection took place the following day (Thursday, April 23) at the site in Fernhill Heath and the cause of the hole's mysterious appearance was discovered.

Jon Fraser, of Worcestershire County Council highways team, said: "An old brick culvert which runs under the road has collapsed and there is a possibility that it could spread, so the lane will remain closed today and tomorrow while we replace it and install new piping.

"We won't know the extent of the problem until we dig down into the culvert, therefore at this time we cannot be prescriptive about how long the work will take."

The road will remain shut until at least the weekend, but local diversions are in place.